Cobb County Emergency Management Agency

🌩️ Don't rely on just one way to receive severe weather warnings.

Outdoor warning sirens are designed to alert people who are outdoors and may not be heard inside homes, businesses, or while sleeping.

Make sure you have multiple ways to receive weather alerts:

✅ Wireless Emergency Alerts on your phone
✅ NOAA Weather Radio
✅ Trusted weather apps with notifications enabled
✅ Local TV and radio stations
✅ A charged phone and backup power source

Having at least two reliable methods to receive warnings can help ensure you receive critical information when seconds matter.

Here's a general timeline ⏱️of how we expect the weather to evolve today over all of north and central Georgia. Impacts will be felt first over western Georgia and spread east as the rain and embedded thunderstorms move across the state.

For those who may be in this heat for an extended amount of time and can utilize this resource, Must Ministries has opened their cooling center for the next two days.

☀️ PLEASE SHARE ☀️

In anticipation of elevated temperatures, the MUST Hope House Cooling Center will be open Thursday, June 11, and Friday, June 12, from noon to 6:30 p.m. Guests will have access to a safe, air-conditioned space as well as lunch and dinner.

Please help us reach those who may need a place to cool down and stay safe.

MUST Hope House
1297 Bells Ferry Road
Marietta, GA 30066

Well, word got out about our Crisis Coordinator Program and Cobb County employees showed up in DROVES. From Elections to Water, Senior Services to Libraries, we had such a wonderful group of people who came through our program and learned more about preparedness topics from sheltering in place to how to stop life threatening bleeding with the use of a tourniquet.

Two hundred and sixty-nine Cobb County employees have taken at least one of the five classes in the series and with the conclusion of this series, one hundred and fifty-one students have graduated the program. That's a total of forty-six students that graduated during this series alone!

Please help us congratulate this new class of Crisis Coordinators and thank them for their dedication to receiving this crucial training. It's dedication like this that makes Cobb County a wonderful place to live, work, worship, and play!

🚨 Outdoor Warning System Test Today 🚨

Cobb EMA will be testing the Outdoor Warning System today at noon.

If you hear the sirens, there is no need for concern—this is only a routine test to ensure the system is functioning properly.

💡 Did you know? The Outdoor Warning System is not designed to be heard indoors.

The sirens are intended to alert people who are outdoors to a tornado warning and prompt them to seek shelter immediately. While some residents may hear the sirens inside their homes or workplaces, this is typically because they are located near a siren.

Because outdoor warning sirens are not intended for indoor notification, every household should have multiple ways to receive emergency alerts, including Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), NOAA Weather Radio, local media, and trusted weather apps.

As we wrap up Hurricane Preparedness Week, we hope these posts have helped you consider how prepared you are for a hurricane should we experience one. Preparedness doesn’t need to be expensive and extensive. It needs to be thoughtful and intentional.

The time to start preparing for hurricane season is today. Don’t wait until it is too late to gather some basic life necessities and prepare yourself and your loved ones for potentially severe weather. Keep an eye on the weather as we move into hurricane season, know your area’s risk for flooding, and have a plan of what you will do before, during, and after a storm.

If you have been reading these posts and feel ahead of the preparedness curve, we love that! Remember to review and refresh any plans you may have. Update family and friends on any changes you have to your preparedness plans. Check supplies for expiration dates, wear or weathering, and make sure that essential things like batteries and tools haven’t wandered off.

Preparedness starts before the storm. Make your plan today so when it’s time to put it into action, it’s one less thing you have to worry about.

Did you know that nearly half of hurricane-related fatalities happen after the storm? It’s easy to think the danger is over once the skies clear but recovery can be risky if you’re not careful. Here are some things to consider in the aftermath of a hurricane:

If you are forced to evacuate from an area, it’s best to wait until local officials say it is safe to return.

Hazards may include downed (and energized) powerlines, flooded roads and damaged bridges, and floodwaters which may contain debris, bacteria, and other hazards that may not be clearly visible.

Resources will be stretched thin after a hurricane, so it is important to be proactive about your own safety and wellbeing. Make sure you stay hydrated, don’t overexert yourself, and be mindful of how tired you are. Mistakes happen when our bodies need rest and we keep pushing them.

Carbon monoxide can be deadly and is often overlooked as a hazard. Generators should not be used indoors and should be at least 20 feet away from doors and windows when being used.

Be prepared to not have electricity and other luxuries restored in your area for a few days or even weeks depending on the severity of the hurricane. Be patient with emergency responders and utility crews as they make their way through the community. Help your neighbors and rally with your community as much as possible. Stay alert, listen to local officials, and protect yourself.

When you’re in the midst of riding out a hurricane, it's important to keep a few things in mind:

1. Putting as many walls as possible between you and outside is best. An interior bathroom is much better than a bedroom that shares a wall with outside.
2. Stay away from windows. Loose items and debris that is whipped around in the storm may shatter windows which puts you at risk for getting injured.
3. Stay indoors. Any damage that is done during the hurricane will still be there when it is all over.
4. Keep your emergency alerts ON. Put your phone into power saving mode and minimize use to keep the battery charged.
5. Use a NOAA weather radio for broadcasts and updates if possible.
6. If floodwaters start to enter your residence or the building you are in, move to the highest floor possible but avoid attics as there is no way to escape an attic if the water continues to rise.
7. Do not drive through flood waters. 12 inches of moving water can carry a vehicle. Turn around, don’t drown.
8. Do not wade through or swim in flood waters. Children should be kept from playing in flood waters.
9. Do not call 911 unless it is a true emergency. First responders will be working around the clock during the hurricane to serve the community. Do not tie up resources unnecessarily.
10. Be mindful of electricity. Downed powerlines may still be active and could pose a life-threatening risk. Do not drive over downed power lines.

Hurricanes can be unpredictable. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and stay alert.

Hurricane preparedness shouldn’t be a last-minute thing. While, historically, we do have some advance heads up that a hurricane is coming, we don’t want to get complacent and reliant on the heads up before we start planning.

Think about the items you have outside your home which could be damaged in strong winds (or be thrown around and damage other things). Patio furniture, umbrellas, potted plants, garden signs, and the like can all become projectiles during severe weather events. Plan to bring those into the home or garage before the weather arrives.

Know where to go in case you need to evacuate. Is your location sufficient or should you consider a sturdier building to ride out the storm? Do you have friends or family who need to be checked on to make sure they’re prepared for the storm?

Have a go-bag ready in case you do evacuate. Consider necessities and what is reasonable to have on hand.

Do not let your vehicle get below a quarter of a tank of gas. This is universal safety, but especially during hurricane season when gas quantities may be limited. Keep your phone battery charged as well and have a portable charger at the ready if power is lost.

If an evacuation order is issued, follow it. Do not delay. Heavy rain, flooding, and downed trees may quickly block evacuation routes if you choose to wait.

The best decisions are made in advance in low stress situations. Make those choices now.